Universal joimt



E. e oasom UNIVERSAL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28,1917.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATEN OFFICE.

ERICK GUSTAF ORBOM. OF WILLISTON. NORTH DAKOTA,

UNIVERSAL JOINT.

Application filed July 28. 1917.

lle it known that l. lllm'n (it's'mr ()nnon. a ritizen ol the l'nited States. residing at. 'illhtoii. in the etulnl) of Williams and State ol North Dakota. have invented eertain new and useful Improvements in l nt \ersal Joints; and I do hereby deelare the followingto be a full. elear. and exaet dewription ol' the invention. sueh as \vi ll enable utl|t-l' ltilled in the art to nhlrh ll ill)|)lll;tlll to make and II. the same.

\lr intention has for its objeet to prm ide a univeisal joint intendmll'oi general we. sin-I a ronneeting a (ll'lllllfl haft to a driven \hal'l. ut It is more e periallv adapted for u e in ronnertiiug sin-h -hal'h herein one thereof has a limited axial movement. with respet't to the other. l'or instanee ll] eonneeting the engine shaft of an automobile with the driving shaft thereol'.

To the above end. ent-rally stated. the invention eonsisls ol' the novel deviees a||d t'()lll,l)lll2lll()ll.\' of deviees hereinafter desrribell and defined in the elaims.

Referring to the drawings.

Figure l is a view. partly in elevation and partl .n longitudinal eentral -seetion:

Fig. '3 is a rienin transverse seetion taken on the line 01' Fig. I;

Fig. 23 is a view in tl'tllhttlht seetion taken on the lim- Il -l of Fig. l; and

Fig. l is a view in elevation of the inner member of the universal joint and eonneeled end of the shaft.

The numerals a") and t' indieate two shafts eonne ted by the improved universal joint. one of \rhieh shafts ma he a driviiug shaft and the other thereof a driven shaft. The improved universal joint eomprises an outer orlindrieal member 7 and an inner spherical member 8 fitted. the latter in the former. Said outer joint member 7 has an open outer end and its inner end is rontraeted to form a sleeve 9 into \rhieh the inner end of the shaft 5 is teleseoped and rigid]; seenred thereto by a tapered pin 10. plurality of wide eirenmforentiall spaced internal cluteh teeth 11 are formed in the. joint member 7. By reference to Fig. 1. it will he noted that the cluteh teeth 11 terminate short of the inner end of the 7, to afford therebetween shoulders or abutments 12. Inward of these abutments 1:2,

the joint member 7 is contracted to afford an annular shoulder or ledge 13.

The joint member 8 is provided with a Specification of Letters Patent.

joint member.

Patented Apr. 6. I920.

Serial No. 183.280.

tapered axial opening into whieh is fitted the tapered inner end oi the shaft (3. whieh 1erminates in a serew-threaded stud ll. 'lbis; stud 14 projeets into a rarity 15 formed in the joint member 8. nut 10 is mounted in the eavity 15. has St'l't\\'llll43fl(l(l engagement with the stud 1-1. and is provided with an annular shoulder. \rhieh bears against the flattened inner end of the joint member H and seeurel llflltls the same on the shaft t'. The shaft ti and joint member 8 are eonnerted by a l e IT for common rotation. lntegrallr l'ormed \rith the outer end of the out It is a H|)lltll ';\l bearing head In. and i will be noted that. this head eonipletes the spin-rival form of the joint member 3 at l llatlened inner surl'ae Meshing with the rlnteh teeth 11. are eoi'iperating rlnteh teeth In integrally formed with and eirl-umferentially spared on the joint member 8. The eluteh teeth 19 are reversely tapered and have the same eurrature as the joint member H. Obviously. the intermeshing' eluteh teeth 11 and 1!) permit free ljniversal angular and axial slidingmovement: of the joint members 7 and S.

Mounted in the joint member T. between its inner end and the joint member h. is a traveling' thrust bloek 20. in the form of a. di.-l having radial lugs 21. Wlllt'll project between th lllltt'l) teeth ll and hold said llll\l l blorlc against rotation. with l'espett to the joint members T and h. but with freedom for axial sliding movement. with respeet thereto. Formed in the front fare of the thrust bloek 20. is a ball-raee 2:2 in \vhieh is mounted anti-frietion bearing balls '23 headed pin 24 projeets axially from the thrust bloel-z 2t) and holds the bearing balls .23 in the ball-raee 22. Projeeting from the rear laee of the thrust bloek 20. is an axially loeated stud llneireling this stud 25. is a helieal spring 2t? compressed between the thrust block 20 and the shoulder 13 in the joint men'iber 7 and yieldingly holds the thrust bearing 23 against the joint member 8.

The open outer end of the joint member 7 is closed by a disk-like cover plate 27, of fiber or other suitable material, and has an axial opening through which the shaft ti loosely projects, with freedom for endn'ise movement, ,It will be noted that the cover plate 27 has a diameter eonsiderabr, larger than that of the joint member 7 and is free for universal sliding movement on said member. 'lelescoped onto the shaft i, is a collar 28 and a follower 25), and said vollar is seeured to the shalt (i by a pin. The follower -29 has a spheriral aurfa e \vhirh lits a sot-kit in the rover plate 27 and aliords a ball and sorliet joint 330. A roiled spring 2-31, enrirrling the shaft (3, is compressed be tween the rollar 28 and 'l'ollower 2i) and yieldingly presses the said follower onto the rover plate 27. whirh, in turn, is yieldingly held a aiust the joint member 7.

Obviously. the thrust hearing will take up all loose motion and the spring A l yieldingly holds the same to its work. The cover plate 27 and ball and socket joint 30 will exrlnde. all dirt and dust from the inlerior of the universal joint and, at the same time, permit free movement of the members thereof. It is. ol' rourse. understood that the joint members may be provided with any desired number of rooprtatiug vlulrh teeth, depending on the \lllllli'lil demands or rouditions melrr \ihir'h the Millie is need.

l. The eonibiualion with two shalt than. of a universal joint ('l)llll(*'lll1; f lln- -illilt, said joint romprieiin, a ovlindriral outer member and a spherical inner member, aitl two members having interlm-kin; rlntrh Eertli arranged to permit universal angular and eudwise movement of one of the two shafts with respect to the ()Clhxl', a thrust blook mounted in the outer member and inli-rlorlzetl with the elntch teeth thereof with freedom for axial movement with respect to aid outer member, roller bearings mounted in a roller seat formed in the thrust block, and a spring yieldingly holding; the thrust lJlOUk with its roller hearings in engagement with the spheriral surface of said inner member.

2. The combination with two shaft sections. of a universal joint eonneeting the same, said joint comprising a cylindrical outer member and a spherical inner member, said two members having interlocking eluteh teeth arranged to permit universal angular and endwise movement of one of the two shafts with respert to the other, a thrust bloelt mounted in the outer member and interloeked with the rluteh teeth thereof with freedom for axial movement with respect to said outer member, a spring yieldingly holding the thrust blUL'k against the inner member, and a positive stop shoulder in the inner member for the thrust block to limit the inward axial movement of the inner member and the compression of the spring.

3. The combination with two shaft seelions, of a universal joint emmeeting the same, said joint comprising a cylindrical. outer member and a spherieal inner member, said two members having interlocking rliltrli teeth arranged to permit universal angu ar and endwise mowmeut oi one of the two shafts with respe t to the other thrust blork mount d in the outer member and interloelted with the vlutrh teeth thereof with freedom for axial movement with re spert to said outer member, said inner member having, a nut aeruriii;, the same to the respective shaft and provided with a spherival bearing surface, roller bearings mounted in a roller seat formed in the thrust block, a spring yieldingly holding the thrust block with its roller hearings in engagement with the bearing surface of said nut, and a positive stop shoulder in the outer member for the thrust block to limit the inward axial movement of the outer member and the coup pression of the spring.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presenee of two witnesses.

ERICK GUSTAV ORBOM.

Witnesses LENA Harmon, WM. G. Owens. 

